Popular reviews

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  Review by diego andaluz ★★★★½

  SXSW - Film #3 

  GAIA absolutely blew me away. A film that thrives in its spirituality, Bouwer delivers an atmospheric masterclass that channels Apichatpong’s Uncle Boonmee, Hereditary, & Annihilation among others. Simply put, it’s my favorite film of the year.

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  Review by Steph_h ★★★½ 8

  Art house eco-horror with excellent atmosphere, some suspenseful moments in the deep woods , creepy creatures , scary plants, and human conflict too.. it lost me a bit because the story was too broad and ambiguous at times.. visually very cool too and also a head scratcher trying to figure out some of what was happening so it was interesting.. I expected to be sucked into it a bit more.. but I liked it 👍🏼

  On a side note it was nice to be back at the Angelica theatre in Manhattan ! Had the day off so took a trip in to meet a friend for lunch and catch a movie .. I couldn’t convince her to see this with me but she was jonesing to see a movie so we’ll be going again soon I hope …

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  Review by legitinate ★★★

  The Last of Us clicker-inspired eco horror

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  Review by Slig001 ★★★

  South African eco horror that never really capitalises on its early promises. Gaia takes place entirely in a forest and focuses on just three main characters - a father and son, and a park ranger who comes into their lives after injuring her foot on a trap. The premise is basically nature fighting back against humanity. The script spends a lot of time decrying mankind for the industrial revolution, excess, greed etc. It's not exactly original but it is well delivered. The film looks and sounds absolutely great. There's a definite Alien Covenant vibe to it, with the isolated forest setting, plants spewing spores and the monsters bear a lot of similarity to the neomorphs in Ridley Scott's film. The…

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  Review by Mister Cap ★★★ 4

  Während einer routinemäßigen Überwachungsmission in einem abgelegenen Wald mit einer Drohne, werden Gabi und ihr Kollege Winston von zwei Überlebenskünstlern bedroht, die davon überzeugt sind, dass der Wald sich darauf vorbereitet, die egoistische Menschheit zu beseitigen. Was die Förster nicht erwarten, ist, dass sich das bizarre Überlebensduo weniger irrt, als es uns lieb ist ...

  Gleich mal vorweg, "Gaia" ist alles andere als ein gewöhnlicher Survival-Dschungel-Horrorfilm, das wird ab der ersten Einstellung klar, wenn die Drohne das Geschehen aus völlig ungewohnter Perspektive filmt. Der Wald ist von Anfang an eine wichtige Figur und wir können fast hören, was er denkt und wie er atmet.

  In gewisser Weise ist "Gaia" ein umgekehrter Horrorfilm - die Außenwelt ist beängstigend, aber der wahre…

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  Review by Paul Elliott ★★★

  South African director Jaco Bouwer integrates themes of cult fanaticism, preservation and inequalities in nature for his fantasy horror movie Gaia. Together with screenwriter Tertius Kapp, Bouwer's frequent collaborator, they imagine nature coming alive in unnatural ways and build a mood that succeeds to be increasingly strange and creepy as it progresses.

  It follows Gabi (Monique Rockman), a park ranger attempting to locate her surveillance drone in an enormous primordial forest. She soon comes across survivalists Barend (Carel Nel) and his son Stefan (Alex van Dyk), who are loyal followers to a weird theology that's very much their own. Additionally, she realises that there's a genuine menace wandering the wilderness in the shape of howling blind fungal diseased zombies.

  It's easy…

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  Review by claira curtis ★★★

  “Hurrah for your free will! Hurrah!”

  Ecological body horror that finds several ways to burrow itself into your skin. Visually stunning and beautiful sound design keep your attention for Gaia’s entire, unsettling runtime. 

  The comparisons that can be drawn between Gaia and similar films feels especially noticeable. Annihilation, The Blair Witch Project, The Last of Us (the video game), perhaps even some Green Inferno vibes, all appearing in one form or another. 

  Gaia may not always be perfect, especially in its blatant Biblical allusions (most apparent in the final act), but it sure is effective at what it aims to accomplish.

  SXSW Watch #5

  2021 Ranked

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  Review by {Todd} ★★ 1

  "The human habitat has become more like a trap" -Barend,

  - 2021 Ranked: boxd.it/aL2Ys

  I don't think I'm cut out for post-apocalyptic living... it's a lot of outdoorsy stuff that's gross.

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  Review by Austin Burke ★★★ 2

  👌🏻64%
  SXSW 2021 Ranked - Click HERE

  On a surveillance mission in a primordial forest, a park ranger encounters two survivalists following a post-apocalyptic lifestyle. The boy and his philosophical father seem to have their own religion, and a mysterious relationship to nature. There are many suspicious aspects to their existence, but when the cabin is attacked by strange, post-human beings one night, she learns that there is a greater threat in this emergent wilderness.

  Quick Review:

  Put aside some questionable visual effects and the idea that the overall story doesn’t quite come together, but what we have a fantastical experience that mixes dramatic moments, body Horror, and fascinating interactions extremely well. The practical side of the effects were quite impressive,…

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  Review by 1313: Tony the Terror ★★★½ 3

  Hulu never ceases to surprise me with its collection of better than expected horror movies! This was a fun and very visually stunning ecological horror story that I had only recently heard about.

  The story kept me completely involved and I liked the idea of the earth wanting to reclaim people. It’s not a unique one, but I liked the way it was presented here. Some interesting body horror thrown in too!

  Didn’t love everything about the ending, but I did love the final scene. Also didn’t love that the female was shown nude multiple times, but the men were only shown once in spite of there being just as many opportunities for them to be nude as there were for her. She did have a lovely body, but come on: nudity equality people!

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  Review by Theo ★★★★ 12

  2021 Favourites

  The newest entry onto the terrain of horror is a deeply strange, heavily metaphorical experience that delivers a moody, slowly creeping ordeal in a remote South African forest. Not that dissimilar from indulging in some shrooms, as the hallucinations overcome your perception of reality, rich in illusory imagery and craving to be consumed.

  2021 seems to be a great year for eco-horror, with both In The Earth and this digging in deep to the roots of the land we tread on, how it dictates and manipulates what we see and feel, as the Mother that intertwines each of us claims back it’s rightful throne on this large organism. The ambiguity of whether nature is this movie’s villain, or…

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  Review by RepoJack ★★★½

  Why is a scene that pans over a forest and then flips over so you see it up-side down so captivating? Gaia starts with that in the beginning, and I recall another scene like that in Midsommar. In Gaia, part of that has to do with the fact that it's filmed in Tsitsikamma Forest in South Africa. The treetops are completely exotic looking.

  This is all a setup for some fantastic cinematography and visuals.

  I originally confused this with In the Earth, but I won't make that mistake again. This is better in nearly every way, even though it plumbs the same eco-horror sub-genre.

  The creatures are awesome looking -- basically they are the "clickers" straight out of the fantastic…